Coupeville News

The Samuel Crockett house, built on Central Whidbey circa 1890, wona t be razed or moved after all.

The lagging economy isna t stopping people from donating to Coupeville schools. The Community Foundation for Coupeville Public Schools recently doled out approximately $10,000 to 19 different projects in the ...

Effective this weekend, electronics manufacturers are paying for the recycling of computer towers, monitors, laptops and televisions through the new E-Cycle Washington program.

Democrats took full control of the Island County Board of Commissioners for the first time in the countya s history when Commissioner Helen Price Johnson and Commissioner-elect Angie Homola were sworn into ...

As environmentally-conscious islanders fill bins with paper, plastics and other recycled materials, companies responsible for collecting and selling the materials are in a dilemma.

I've been doing this for 15 years, and I remain committed to the idea there are great films out there. You just have to look for the gems buried under a huge mountain of junk.

Film like these ones, the pride of home video in 2008.

BEST FILM: The German-made "Four Minutes" is everything a great film should be. Challenging, thought-provoking. Beautifully acted. The story of two women (an elderly piano teacher haunted by the past and her young protege, an exceptional talent saddled with great anger) it is starkly unsentimental and yet deeply affecting.

Instead of draining it into Penn Cove, Coupeville officials want to tap into the town's stormwater to see if it can be put to a better use, such as irrigating farmland.

The presidential inauguration is just about as close to a royal coronation as America gets.

The Coupeville Historic Waterfront Association's first big "shop local" effort was a rousing success, encouraging people to spend their money at downtown shops and restaurants during the holiday shopping season.

Penny Holland of Coupeville went home with the big prize: $1,000 in cash.

During the promotion, customers received one red ticket for every $20 spent at participating businesses. In order to claim the prize, the winner had to be present when the winning ticket was drawn on the steps of the Island County Historical Museum Dec. 21. The people who had the first three lucky tickets weren't present, so the fourth ticket - the one held by Holland - held the winning number.

Local voters' rejection of a publicly owned power company was the result of a lack of education about the advantages, says a former campaign volunteer.

Ed Jenkins of Clinton is kicking off a new campaign in January to replace Puget Sound Energy as the island's electricity supplier, saying a PUD would jump-start the local economy by creating new jobs and industries.

He said he has half a dozen people interested and is asking others to join now for the nearly two-year march to the November 2010 election.

Central Whidbey commuters will soon have a better place to park their cars and take a bus to work.

Gov. Chris Gregoire's 2009-2011 budget proposal does not include funding for a second ferry for the Keystone-Port Townsend route.

In a press release Dec. 18, the governor blamed a "deepening national recession" for the massive budget gap faced by Washington lawmakers as they prepare to head into the 2009 legislative session in January. The revenue shortfall accounts for a $5.7 billion state budget deficit.

"Our state is not immune and our revenue - largely reliant on a sales tax - is down significantly, resulting in the largest budget gap in state history," she said.

For the second time in as many weeks, the Coupeville community came to the aid of a family that lost everything in a fire that destroyed their home.

A small army of about 60 volunteers swarmed the Terry Mobile Park in Coupeville to help remove the remains of a rented manufactured home that had been destroyed in a Dec. 4 fire.

"It was an amazing community effort," said Vivian Rogers-Decker, the Coupeville School District Readiness to Learn coordinator who is helping organize relief efforts for victims Maurillio Bautista and Rosa Flores and their children, Maurillio, Jr., 4, and Bernice, 2.

The Coupeville Town Council has approved Island Transit's request to build a 54-car park-and-ride lot on South Main Street.

The proposal went before the council Dec. 9 and was approved with a 3-1 vote. Councilmember Bob Clay, who also is chairman of the Island Transit Board of Directors, abstained from the vote, and Councilmember Ann Dann-hauer voted against the measure.

The project, located between the Coupe's Village commercial center and the historic Sergeant Clark House on South Main, is off to a good start, Dann-hauer said. But before she's willing to support it, she wants more information, such as the water infiltration rate of the property's soil.

Steve Gulliford, the executive director of the Housing Authority of Island County, is retiring Dec.

Christmas wouldna t be the same in Oak Harbor without two temporary businesses that take the proceeds and help the community.

As we enter this time of giving, I encourage our community to think about our neighbors and friends who work and have businesses here in South Whidbey.

Due to a financial collapse, Coupeville-based Wintros Academy was forced to shut down last Friday, ending its short-lived status as Washingtona s first school specifically for children with autism.

Up at the North Pole, Santa Claus is filling his sack with the latest and greatest amusements.

The rain that had been drenching the island took a break late Saturday afternoon just long enough for the annual parade to usher in the Christmas season on Central Whidbey.